New Haven Independent

Mayor Seeks Help With The “Knuckleheads”

by Paul Bass | July 1, 2008 3:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)

Mayor John DeStefano appealed for the public’s help in dealing with “knuckleheads” responsible for forming gangs and shooting up neighborhood streets.

DeStefano (pictured with Acting Police Chief Stephanie Redding) made the appeal at a press conference Tuesday at the training academy on Sherman Parkway, called to highlight the latest crime statistics.

(Click here to view the city’s power point presentation presenting the stats.)

Reported robberies and shootings are down, while homicides and rapes are up for the first six months of 2008 compared to the same period in 2007.

DeStefano acknowledged the recent spate of shootings — 10 in 10 days; four people hit, including one murder, within one block of Winthrop Avenue over four days.

“June 2008, like June 2007, has been a cruel month for our neighborhoods,” the mayor said.

DeStefano said two groups of people have been responsible for the lion’s share of the recent violence: Some of the 25 people released every week from jail into the community, without enough “re-entry” help available to them; and a “hard-core group” of 16-20 year-olds.

Most young people are doing well in New Haven, he said. A record number (1,055) graduated from high school this year, many going onto higher education. The city has found 1,200 summer jobs for teens, while operating nine “open schools,” 18 camps and summer school for 6,000 students.

The far-smaller group of trouble-makers is harder to reach, he said. They have no adult supervision. He described them as a group of 200-300 “knuckleheads who are isolated from everything we would call normal — school … work — and making bad choices.”

The largest group of people arrested on firearms charges in the first quarter of the year — 28 in total — were between 16 and 20 years old. Only six people that age were arrested on firearms charges for the same period in 2007.

“They are increasingly organizing themselves into gangs” that are not yet as “hierarchical” as the gangs that terrorized New Haven in the early 1990s but causing ever-more trouble nonetheless, DeStefano said. Earlier Tuesday, the Register’s Bill Kaempffer, in this article, reported that cops believe the Bloods gang may be reviving in town.

“Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, we’re going to be out there with neighbors working together” to engage kids in trouble, DeStefano said.

The city cops and the new street outreach workers are on the case, but they can’t solve the problem alone, DeStefano argued. He called on adults throughout town to join the effort.

“Parents need to know — and challenge — 16 year-olds about what and where they are at 2 a.m.,” he said. Other adults should “form positive relationships” with young people in the community. “Higher expectations” need to be set for young people’s behavior, he said.

Some Encouraging News, Some Not
At Tuesday’s press conference, Acting Chief Redding (pictured with mayoral spokeswoman Jessica Mayorga) offered an overview of crime statistics for the first half of the year.

Violent crime dropped 9 percent for the first six months of 2008 compared to the first six months of 2007. Nonviolence crime rose 11 percent.

Homicides rose 57 percent, from 7 to 11. Reported rapes rose 35 percent, from 20 to 27. Burglaries went up 21 percent.

Shootings dropped 23 percent, from 87 to 67; robberies 14 percent. The latter resulted from the arrests of a group of youngsters responsible for many of the muggings, as well as from increased patrols in Dixwell and Newhallville, Redding said.

As evidence of the concern over released prisoners, 82 percent of the homicide victims and 70 percent of the non-fatal shooting victims so far this year have prior criminal records. As evidence of the concern over ever-younger people in trouble, 34 percent of the non-fatal shooting victims were 18 or under. That’s up from 22 percent over the same period in 2007.

Police have made arrests in only two of the 11 homicides so far this year. According to Lt. Lisa Dadio, second in command of the detective bureau, arrest warrants are pending two other cases, and the cops have identified suspects in two more. “In the next 30 days all but one” of the cases will have been cracked, she vowed.

Standing at military attention throughout the press conference were members of the current police training class. They hit the streets in December.

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Comments

Posted by: disgusted | July 1, 2008 4:36 PM

Looks like it's time for the Guardian Angels to return.....

Posted by: cedarhillresident | July 1, 2008 4:53 PM

OK and then johnny wins me over with a simple phrase...."knuckleheads" ya gotta love it! I would agree that some of these kids brains are the size of a knuckle....but some know what they are doing and those are the ones that are manipulating the knuckleheads. Recruiting them. God protect us all!

Posted by: JP | July 1, 2008 6:31 PM

Hey Gotham Robb

"The largest group of people arrested on firearms charges in the first quarter of the year -- 28 in total -- were between 16 and 20 years old."

Johnny gets it why dont you?

Posted by: Former New Havener | July 1, 2008 6:56 PM

Make the parents responsible too when their kids commit crimes and let's see these kids start behaving.

Posted by: Fedupwithliberals | July 1, 2008 7:05 PM

"knuckleheads who are isolated from everything we would call normal"

Sounds like he's describing a mayor we all know and love!

Posted by: Deuce | July 1, 2008 7:18 PM

It's time for armed citizen patrols. Who does this city belong to? ...

Posted by: fac Chek | July 1, 2008 7:35 PM

Forget the year-to-year comparison statistics,
"Violent crime dropped 9 percent for the first six months of 2008 compared to the first six months of 2007. Nonviolence crime rose 11 percent.

Homicides rose 57 percent, from 7 to 11. Reported rapes rose 35 percent, from 20 to 27. Burglaries went up 21 percent. Shootings dropped 23 percent, from 87 to 67; robberies up 14 percent".
All it tells us is crime is rampant all over the city.

"Some Encouraging News, Some not".

If this administration can't get these knuckleheads under control after 14 years, we need to get someone who can.

Posted by: Bob Abuey | July 1, 2008 8:28 PM

Im suprised there isnt any outlandish liberal comment up here yet about how we shouldn't refer to these criminals as "knuckleheads." However, this is only the first day of this article, so we still have time...

Posted by: bugupit | July 1, 2008 8:59 PM

Former Police Chief Mel Wearing use "Knuckleheads" after the violence at a Freddy Fixer parade. I thought it was a great term that can be used to describe delinquents from just about any demographic group without malice and have used it since. So, now that it's been adopted by Big John, can my Block Watch get a "No Knuckeheads Zone" sign posted?

Posted by: joey | July 1, 2008 10:34 PM

Get rid of DCF and the we can begin to fix the problems

Posted by: Clifford W. Thornton, Jr. | July 2, 2008 9:57 AM

The only "Knuckleheads" are the ones that preceeded this posting. Are just going to continue what we have been doing?

Posted by: cedarhillresident | July 2, 2008 10:24 AM

bugupit
teee heee hee....ok by weekends end I will have that sign up.....naa I like my keep DRUGS off our street sign seems to work just great...problem is they just moved one street over.

Posted by: Nestor Makhno | July 2, 2008 7:02 PM

DeStefano's use of "knucklehead" is offensive. As William Saphire documented some time ago, a "knucklehead" is a Navy serviceman who disobeys an order. King John's use of the word is an insult to all those who proudly served our country in the branch of the military known for what, in Marine-speak, is called "loose flatulence." These low-life criminals, on the other hand, have served nothing but their self interest.

Posted by: Joe | July 2, 2008 8:38 PM

I happen to know 2 of this classes recruits, one used to be my partner and is a paramedic also. Talking to him tonight, he is really excited and believes he can make a difference. the other individual I know from my years in EMS. These guys are motivated now, hopefully once in the mainstream in December, they will still be. There are alot of challenges waiting for them out there. What people and these "knuckleheads" need to realize and appreciate is that these guys are going to be putting their asses on the line everyday to protect everyone and make the quality of life better. I have read all too many times people posting how the cops are lazy, yada yada. They aren't lazy, to an extent, their hands are tied. They can't be everywhere at all times. This class will give some added visibility to the police out there. but ya know what, these guys keep getting out of jail with no skills, and lacking the desire to change. the ones who have a desire to change often run into big time obsticles. someone shoots or kills someone, lock them up for good. if the Mayor actually backs the cops for a change instead of holding them back, I think people will see a change. Tell you something else I see on the horizon. Johnny D. and the new Chief going head to head because this guy has a tough on crime standard and good ole Johnny likes to use the soft approach. Like I said previously, All of you remember these men and women are out there risking their tails everyday. There's an old EMS saying which actually fits great here for NHPD too: We bust our asses saving yours!!! Good luck guys.

Posted by: Andrew | July 2, 2008 10:36 PM

Knuckleheads!?! From what I have been told, by a reasonably reliable source, is that the Bloods and Crips have been, under the leadership of members from NYC, re-organizing the local gangs of New Haven into much more streamlined and efficient illicit drug distribution networks. There it is New Haven. Not knuckleheads, not by far. Rather, just another arm of the increasingly sophisticated, national drug cartel. Welcome to the big leagues.

Posted by: Hooligan | July 3, 2008 5:27 PM

Hey Andrew, don't you think your giving these "knucleheads ", a little too much credit?, There wannabes who's only similarity to the real gangs is the colors they wear.

I blame there parents who let them run the streets all day and night, and rappers like Snoop Dog, The Game, and The 47 Miller Gang, who glorify and praise the gang life. It's a sad commentary on our socity when black on black crime is just fodder. The Mayor is right though it's a small percent who ruin it for all the youth in New Haven, and something needs to be done.

Posted by: Andrew | July 4, 2008 12:31 PM

Nope. Not too much credit at all. They are the frontline of a fairly sophisticated operation, according to a former state trooper (with whom I work) who used to do surveillance for a narcotics task force in New Haven. The bloods and crips have been very slowly and insiduously establishing their presence in New Haven over the past four years. Calling these guys "knuckleheads" is to deny the complexity of the problem.

Posted by: In The Hood | July 5, 2008 3:25 PM

Someone had called 911 about a dispute in Newhallville Friday july 4th... worried that the dispute would escalate to violence. No response from police

Mayor Seeks Help With The “Knuckleheads”

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